


Family

by shewearsglasses



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Meet the Family, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-28
Updated: 2014-03-28
Packaged: 2018-01-17 09:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1382194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewearsglasses/pseuds/shewearsglasses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim takes Stephanie home to meet "the family," and even if things started off a little awkward, they all love her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in November of 2012. It was revised in January of 2014.

The stairs were a smooth slab of stone, speckles of black dusted the top as if to make them appear fancier. As if it weren't fancy enough already... Stephanie rubbed her fingers together nervously. The door was hulking and even Tim appeared gigantic when she looked up from the foot of the stairs.

Her cheeks were searing with heat, and her eyes were glossing over. "Tim..." She whispered, shifting her arms behind her back and hunching slightly, her long hair shadowed her face, hopefully hiding her expression from Tim. "I'm nervous," she said sheepishly, biting her lip to keep her calm.

Tim let out what probably should have been a laugh, but ended up as an awkward snort instead. "It'll be fine, Steph," he whispered back. Stephanie nearly laughed, his pitch was a touch too high, he was obviously nervous enough for the both of them. Hopefully for different reasons than hers…Did Tim really think she’d ruin the night as she already assumed?

Stephanie kicked at the ground, scuffing her red converse slightly, and frowning at the action. She had on a pair of black tights underneath her worn shorts, she dug her finger into the hole in the pocket, feeling comforted if only slightly. These shorts were as old as time, and her favorites to wear. She usually donned them when she was forced into awkward or uncomfortable situations, such as this. Her shirt was a deep purple and rose to her neck, usually it was her favorite, but given the atmosphere, it suddenly appeared choking.

There was a small Bat Symbol on the chest area of said t-shirt, covering her breasts, at the same time it hid her curves, it also drew attention to the feature. She shyly wrapped her finger around the edge of the shirt, cringing and trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible. This concept was ridiculous given that her only audience was staring directly at her. "Steph," he said, closing the distance between them and facing her head-on. "You'll be fine! He'll love you."

Stephanie paused, realizing he was about to draw her inside the mansion, and she frantically searched her mind for a reason to stop him. "Cass and I were going to go as Superheroes for Halloween this year!"

Tim blinked at her, opening and closing his mouth twice, before finally saying, "Yeah?" His voice came out as a squeak.

She nodded vigorously, holding down laughter, "I'm planning on being Robin!"

"You?" he snorted, clearly not planning on keeping his own laughter down. "Robin?"

"What?" She finally appeased him, laughing like she had a school-girl crush. She grinned playfully up at him through her blonde bangs, "Why can't I be Robin?" She said, pouting softly.

"You're a girl!" He chuckled, earning him a glare from Stephanie.

"I can do what I want, you sexist bigot!" She forced out as joking as she could be when his hand was raised to knock.

"Fine, fine," Tim said, sighing dramatically. "You can be Robin! But only—" he raised an eyebrow at her to tease. "Only—if you'll let me be your Batman."

Stephanie raised an eyebrow right back, "Are you suggesting that Batman and Robin are partners?"

"Well, of course? Everyone knows that, Steph."

She snorted, "Obviously. I didn't mean partner partners, Tim. I meant life partners, special buddies, sexy friends?" When Tim appeared confused even after the sultry way she'd said the last nickname, she rolled her eyes and shouted, "GAY, Tim! Are you suggesting the infamous duo is gay?"

Tim looked disgusted, scrunching up his nose in distaste, "No! Fuck no." He said, sticking his tongue out at the suggestion. "I was just thinking we could be Batman and Robin, and I mean, if Robin is a girl, then maybe..."

Stephanie grinned deliciously, shifting closer to her boyfriend—Were they even that?—She needed to talk to him about that, now that she thought about it.

Unfortunately, the pair was interrupted by the flickering porch light and the front door, which swung open loudly. "Why hello!" Boomed a rather ecstatic voice from several yards away. The male drew out the 'oo' sound in what he probably hoped sounded welcoming enough. Tim stiffened beside Stephanie, who only laughed awkwardly. When she looked up at Tim, he was rolling his eyes and sighing. If anyone ever called the boy dramatic, they’d be making a severe understatement.

Tim grasped Stephanie's hand on the way in, tugging her abruptly. She lost her footing for a moment, stumbling on the second step in her surprise at the gesture.

The man behind the door was tall, and ridiculously handsome. Stephanie almost wondered if she'd chosen the wrong brother. "Dick," Tim was addressing the man—Dick?—curtly. "This is Stephanie, my girlfriend."

She squeaked, grinning childishly at his name for her. So, they were an item, it seemed. Scratch the earlier mental note! Shaking her head softly to rid her mind of silly thoughts, she promptly brought her hand up to shake Dick's. He stared at it momentarily, and she almost pulled it away, feeling awkward. Was that wrong? Didn't people usually shake hands? What was happening? Her thoughts were as nervous as her eyes, but Dick remedied the situation by wrapping her in a jubilant hug.

Stephanie laughed delicately, confused as how to take this character holding onto her.

"Dick!" Tim shouted at the man, grasping a handful of her shirt and pulling her from the man. Tim tucked her behind him like a child in need of protection. She only straightened herself and smiled uncomfortably. As if she needed protection, Dick seemed… Harmless enough. "That's not polite!"

Dick rolled his eyes, poking Tim in the forehead, before bowing swiftly to Stephanie. "Ignore my foolish younger brother, my dear, Stephanie. I find it more pleasant to hug the ladies, and shake the hands of the gentlemen, no?"

Surprised, Stephanie only nodded, unsure how to respond. Dick took this as an agreement, if the victorious smirk directed at Tim was anything to go by.

"Well, anyway," Dick announced, clearing his throat. "Welcome to the Wayne Manor! Follow me, if you please." He gestured after him as he sauntered down the hall. His gait was confident and very self-aware. When Tim put his hand on the small of her back and pushed her to follow, she was given the perfect view of Dick's backside. And what a view it was!

The group soon arrived at a small sitting room. ‘Small’ was putting it lightly, as Stephanie would normally call it extravagant. There was a beautiful hardwood table that Dick eloquently propped his feet upon when he flopped onto the loveseat just parallel. The furniture looked more expensive that her entire house. She blinked when she realized Dick had begun speaking, "While we wait for dinner, Tim will fetch us some drinks!" Stephanie caught the glare Tim sent his brother, and she briefly wondered if this were a set-up of some kind. "Tim, if you will."

Finally, after a long pause while the two brothers locked eyes, Tim nodded. He squeezed Stephanie's hand as he left. She almost rolled her eyes, it wasn’t as if he was leaving her with a dragon—She eyed Dick carefully—hopefully. He was so pretty… But was he too pretty? Could he be a dragon?

Dick grinned as he made himself more comfortable on the beige love-seat, gesturing for Stephanie to sit across from him. "So, tell me about yourself, Stephanie! You go to Timmy's school, I presume?"

Stephanie nodded with a soft smile, feeling strangely comfortable around the older man. She sat delicately on the matching couch just opposite him. "I do actually. But, I'm a senior."

"Ah," Dick urged her on. "You're older, then. How much older, if I may?"

"My birthday is August 11th, so just under a year older than Tim." She said, smirking. She just loved to hold that small detail over the boy.

Dick's soft laugh filled the room, and Stephanie imagined she enjoyed the sound. He was very handsome, and incredibly kind and pleasant to be around. Now that she thought about it, his earlier behavior had probably been for the added benefit of annoying Tim. They would get along gloriously. "That's amazing! I'll be lording that over dear, Timmy, for quite a time," Dick said, and she actually joined him in his shrieks of laughter.

At that very moment, a younger boy stepped into the room, sizing up Stephanie quite obviously. He announced his presence with a glare at Dick, "Grayson."

Dick paused in his laughter, smiling at the boy, who, Stephanie assumed to be about ten. "Damian, come to join us?"

"Not in the slightest. I only came to see the fool Drake has trapped into a relationship." The child called Damian huffed, sneering at Stephanie from his place in the doorway. She was left confused at the encounter, why hadn’t Tim quizzed her on his family members? Why hadn’t he warned her about his weird younger brother?

"It is customary to engage the guest in a conversation first, before whipping out opinions, Damian. You know that," Dick scolded him lightly, the smile never leaving his lips.

Damian rolled his eyes, scowling at Stephanie one last time before leaving the room. Stephanie's eyes stared after the boy for a moment, then she cleared her throat and focused back on Dick, "He’s your younger brother?”

"Unfortunately," Tim reaffirmed with a grimace. His appearance almost startled Stephanie, but Dick just rolled his eyes, mouthing ‘Drama Queen’ at her. "That little devil hates my guts."

Stephanie could not hold in her gasp, "Tim!"

The male rolled his eyes, "It's the truth."

Dick chuckled softly, leaning over to pat Stephanie on the knee. He grabbed his glass of—wine?—from Tim’s withheld tray. "Damian and Tim have a bit of a… Rivalry, I guess you'd call it. Damian doesn't think Tim deserves to be in this family, for some foolish reason, and Tim thinks Damian is the worst Wayne of us all." Dick took a sip, sticking up his finger quickly as if remembering another point, "Which, I believe is ironic," he choked out, in between sips of his dark drink. "Because Damian is the only child with actual Wayne blood in his veins!"

Stephanie squinted at her drink's contents, wondering what had Dick meant. "Then, the rest of you are all adopted?"

Dick nodded, "I'm the oldest, then Jason, and finally, Timmy, here."

Tim rubbed at his nose, smiling at Stephanie quickly before addressing his brother, "Is Jason coming?"

Swallowing another sip of his drink, Dick shrugged. "Who knows? Jason does what he wants, as unfortunate as it seems to be."

Tim sighed dramatically, and said nothing when Dick kicked his feet back up on the coffee table, humming contentedly. The doorbell rang, alerting Dick, whose eyes widened a fraction. He lurched out of his seat and practically sprinted for the door, yelling, "I'll get it!" over his shoulder as if anyone would have protested.

Stephanie laughed into her cupped hand, and Tim rolled his eyes, "He's like a needy puppy around Babs. You'll see."

"Who's Babs?" Stephanie asked, leaning toward her newly-entitled boyfriend.

"His off-and-on girlfriend. My personal favorite of his long list of ladies," Tim said, leaning in conspiratorially. "She takes none of his shit, and is much classier than Kory."  
"Kory?"

"One of Dick's other girlfriends, don't mind her. She moved away, I think. Possibly to another country. She was foreign, I know that much." Tim obviously didn't know a lot about his brother's friends, so Stephanie ignored him. Instead turning her attention to the pretty red-head who'd just entered the room. The woman had large green eyes, the sunlight let in by the large windows practically made them glow. Dick was trying to tell a joke when they wandered into the room.

The woman—Babs?—cut Dick off immediately when she set her eyes on Stephanie and Tim. "Hello!" she said, smiling widely and extending her hand to Stephanie. "You must be Stephanie, Tim's friend?"

Stephanie stood, immediately correcting the woman, "Oh yes! But Steph is fine. And you are…"

"Babs!" Dick said as he wrapped a loose arm around the woman's waist. "This is Barbara, she's my—"

"Friend," Barbara said, shooting Dick down with one terse remark. The man melted, pouting his way back to his previous spot. "I'm Dick's friend. Ignore whatever else he's spouted this evening," Barbara told her, almost laughing when Dick melted into the loveseat.

"Oh no," Stephanie smiled back, liking this pleasant woman almost as much as Tim and Dick seemed to. "He's said nothing about you."

"You didn't even tell her I was coming!" Barbara feigned a gasp, and cuffed the back of Dick's head, acting much like the mother he needed. "Richard Grayson! I know Alfred taught you better manners than this!"

"I certainly did, Ma'am," said a tall man with a small, white moustache, who Stephanie only just noticed standing in the doorway. "However, it is my fault, I divulge. I cannot allow Master Grayson to take the blame, when I, myself, should have been greeting the guests."

"Alfred!" Barbara grinned, embracing the well-dressed man as quickly she could cross the room, "It's been much too long!"

Alfred coughed awkwardly, playing up the part of house butler, hopefully not for Stephanie's sake, "Ah yes, Miss Gordon, it has."

Dick mumbled something about suck-ups, to which Barbara shot him a scathing look. Only after forcing Dick into a cowering mess, she turned her attention back to the family butler, "I'm glad I could be included in this family dinner! I've really missed you all."

"You know you're as much a part of this family as anyone, Babs." Tim remarked from beside Stephanie, he kicked his feet out onto the coffee table, only to have Stephanie swat them down. He leaned forward to take a sip of his drink, muttering something rude under his breath. "How could we exclude you, of all people? And even so, Dick uses every chance he can get to invite you over."

Stephanie glanced at the aforementioned character who was grimacing into drink. "Anyway," Barbara continued as she seated herself beside the man himself. "How'd you two meet? I never got to hear that story!"

Stephanie blushed, smiling awkwardly and hoping Tim would come to the rescue.

He did just so, "Not quite as romantic a story as yours, I assure you." He said, leaving a smirk on Dick's face and a roll of Barbara's eyes in his wake. "We had a class together. Chemistry, as I remember." At this, Tim looked to Stephanie, continuing only at her nod of acceptance, "Steph flirted her way into my heart. Although, the flirting was a bit sad at first, if I do recall."

Stephanie feigned offense, but remembered her lame attempts at flirtation quite well. "I succeeded, so obviously something worked!" She waggled her eyebrows at Barbara, the other woman had to understand, as the puddle of Dick seemed to speak for himself.

Tim grinned, nudging her with his elbow, "I took pity on you and finally asked you out. It was embarrassing for everyone, really."

"Oh, I was just a pity date? Then, how come you were sweating up a storm? Or were you just nervous I'd dump your sorry ass?" Stephanie retorted, smirking at Tim's teasing smile.

Alfred came to the rescue at the perfect time. "Excuse me, but dinner is ready."

Dick jumped up first, offering a hand to the red-head at his side. She rolled her eyes, but took the hand, standing and spinning on her heel before Dick could make a move. He sighed loudly, but followed her with little more than a pout on his lips. Tim and Stephanie laughed, bringing up the rear, Tim even took Stephanie's hand into his own. She grinned, loving the feel of his warm palm on her own.

Alfred smiled at Stephanie as he pulled her chair out for her. She thanked him, and he turned away with a smile. The man seemed to be such a huge part of the family, but he took his job much too seriously to include himself in their evening festivities.

The meal went quickly, and small talk was exchanged. But, nothing was more awkward than repeatedly getting scolded by Alfred for talking with one’s mouth full, so most of the eating was done in silence. This was one absurdity Stephanie had been warned about, and she thanked god for that. If she’d not known that they ate silently, she probably would’ve died of awkwardness right about then.

After dinner, they talked to Barbara and Dick for what felt like hours. Barbara had even typed her cell phone number into Stephanie’s phone before Tim tugged her out. They hugged their goodbyes and ended the night pleasantly. It went much better than Stephanie had ever expected.

Dick waved from the doorway as Stephanie was led out by Tim. "Bye, sweetheart! Stop by anytime! Even just to chat!"

"He gets lonely," Tim whispered as the door closed behind them.

Stephanie snickered into her hand and smiled at Tim. "Thanks for bringing me here, Tim. It really means a lot that you'd introduce me to your family."

"They're not my—"

"Oh, I know." Stephanie reached up to cup his cheek with her hand, her pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. She almost grimaced, making a mental note to go to the beach whenever possible. "But, they're your most important people. I could tell from the smile that never quite left your face."

Tim's eyes lit up at her revelation, "Yeah."

Stephanie dropped her hand and skipped ahead to the car, "Now drive me home, loser! It's freezing out here!"

When she spun to face him, Tim was smiling at her almost fondly. She hoped he’d enjoyed the night. She hoped he’d take her to meet Dick and Babs as often as possible. Maybe she’d even meet the couple on her own. They were obviously in love, so she’d give them the night and beg Tim for details in the morning. When Dick had closed the door, Barbara had been giddy with alcohol and happy company. She seemed to carry Dick in the palm of her hand, but she obviously really cared for the man. They were much nicer than Tim had seemed to expect.

Tim started the car, and she spun the heat up to full-blast. He tried to cut the temperature in half, but she swatted his hand away, laughing as she rolled the window down and sticking her head out like a dog. He made a joke about her being just that, but she ignored him.

The night had been just perfect. She smiled silently, and watched Tim hum along with the radio, drumming his hands on the wheel like the adorable doofus she had maybe-kinda-possibly fallen in love with.

Smiling, Stephanie pulled one of his hands into her own. He glanced twice, concentrating most of his sight on the road. “Take me back soon, please,” she whispered. Despite the radio’s volume, Tim seemed to hear her, if his grin was anything to go by.

“Anytime you want.”


End file.
